Albany, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
- For the electorate, see Albany (NZ electorate)Albany (NZ electorate)Albany was a New Zealand electorate. It was located in north Auckland, and named after the suburb of Albany.-History:The electorate of Albany came into being in the 1978 elections. It was centred on Albany, which had previously been part of Waitemata electorate...
Albany is a northern suburb of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, one of the several cities in northern New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The name derives from Alba
Alba
Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is cognate to Alba in Irish and Nalbin in Manx, the two other Goidelic Insular Celtic languages, as well as similar words in the Brythonic Insular Celtic languages of Cornish and Welsh also meaning Scotland.- Etymology :The term first appears in...
(Gaelic for Scotland) and its Latinisation. It is located to the north of the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
, 15 kilometres northwest of the Auckland city centre. The suburb is in the Albany ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions of Auckland City. One of the city's newest suburbs, it was until relatively recently a town in its own right, and still has a feeling of not being truly a part of the city, which lies predominantly to the southeast of it. Much of the land to the north of Albany is still semi-rural. The Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name for the area was Okahukura (literally, 'place of rainbows' or 'place of butterflies'). The town was originally known as Lucas Creek, but was renamed in 1890 after Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was the eighth child and fourth son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold was later created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow...
, a son of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
City planning
In 2005, there were plans to turn a major swath of Albany into a planned mini-urban centre, described as a "happy mix of businesses, hotels, shops, apartments, and entertainment (including) an environment of parks and lakes and of tree-lined streets, paths and cycleways linking to the new Albany park-and-ride bus station and the rapid-busway lanes along the Northern Motorway to downtown Auckland", according to a newspaper report. It would be home to 10,000 people. Authorities wanted sound-proofed apartments against outside noise. Initial plans called for hotels, library, municipal swimming pool as well as the headquarters for the North Shore City Council. In some respects, development has proceeded accordingly, but the 2008-2009 economic downturn has blunted some of this activity.Demographics
The population was 2,169 in the 2006 CensusNew Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, however, and legislation introduced to hold the next...
, an increase of 1,224 from 2001. There were 780 occupied dwellings in 2006. Demographic makeup of Albany is 66% European, 5% Maori, 2% Pacific peoples, 22% Asian, 2% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, and 10% other. The median income of $29,200 was higher than for the Auckland Region of $26,800. 47% of persons age 15+ have a post-school qualification, compared with 43% of Aucklanders in the general region. There is a higher percentage of person describing themselves as "managers" in Albany, compared to the Auckland region, and fewer describing themselves as "machinery operators and drivers" or "labourers". But unemployment in Albany at 6.6% was somewhat higher than for the Auckland region (5.6%). 77% had Internet access and 83% have cell phones. Cars are prevalent. A near majority (48%) were born overseas. Ethnically, in keeping with the wider North Shore, Albany is predominantly Pakeha
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
and Asian, and has a relatively high proportion of recent migrants from both elsewhere in New Zealand and overseas.
Retail and commercial activity
Albany has become, in some respects, a substantial shopping and retail zone within the northwestern Auckland area.The area (the future 'Albany Town Centre') is fast-growing in terms of its population and the development of the built environment, following planning decisions and land sales made by central and local governments in the 1980s and 1990s. Through the 1990s industrial and retail areas were rapidly produced, predominatly owned and occupied by local and foreign corporate capital. A major shopping centre
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
hub was opened in the late 1990s and has since expanded, with Westfield Albany
Westfield Albany
Westfield Albany is a new shopping centre of the Westfield Group in Albany, New Zealand, opposite the Albany Lakes Civic Park. Once the last sections opened in April 2008, at 7 ha of indoor space , it became the largest shopping centre in New Zealand, eclipsing even recently opened Sylvia Park,...
becoming New Zealand's largest shopping centre. The so-called supermall opened in August 2007 on McKinnon Drive costing $210 million with 142 shops built by over 3500 workers, which features 1800 cinema seats and an indoor area of 7ha. There is parking for 2300 vehicles. K-mart, Farmers, and New World stores are anchors. The mall claimed it provides "free space for community organisations for awareness and fundraising activities" but one volunteer claimed he was ejected from the premises while trying to raise money for veterans because of a dispute with mall management.
There has been development of a substantial retail project anchored by a 10,000 square metre Mega Mitre 10 store on Oteha Valley Road, across from the North Harbour Stadium, run by Symphony Projects Management.
Albany has been the site of a $500 million so-called Super City showcase development project. Plans in 2006 featured a 200-room hotel, apartment complex with three 30-storey towers, and up to 15 office blocks rising 10 levels high. But in the economic downturn of 2008-2009, the project was in dire straits; one report suggested up to 350 investors (many elderly) risked losing up to $20 million.
Albany has a site for Sky Television
SKY Network Television
Sky Network Television Limited , , is a New Zealand pay television service. On 30 June 2011, Sky had 829,421 subscribers, which comprises:*808,617 digital subscribers*20,840 other subscribers...
's "Prime News" on Prime TV
Prime Television New Zealand
Prime is the seventh national free-to-air television station in New Zealand. The station airs a mixed group of programmes, largely imported from Australia, the UK and the United States, as well as free-to-air rugby union, cricket and rugby league matches....
, but in March 2009 90 jobs were cut along with programme and operating budgets, although a spokesman for Sky Television said "Prime News will continue to be produced and presented in Albany."
There are movie theatres including the 1800-seat multiplex inside the new mall, although there were reports of roof problems and weathertightness. A large furniture store opened in May 2009 creating up to 30 jobs. High tech firms such as Garmin, a firm specializing in satellite navigation and communications technology, has a showroom in Albany. There are upscale restaurants. Surf-wear fashion retailer Billabong has an outlet store in Albany.
Residential real estate
Considerable housing development has also taken place since the early 1990s, which has been facilitated by the extension of the Northern Motorway through the area. There are upscale properties; one large property (318 sq m) on 2ha of land, with a six-bedroom three-bathroom five-car garage house with a pool and solar-powered stable for horses including a "hoof soaking path" cost approximately $1.5 million in 2006. In 2005, the rent for a two bedroom apartment (part of a four bedroom house with a two car garage) was $300 per week.Sports
Albany has one of the Auckland Region's newest sports facilities, North Harbour StadiumNorth Harbour Stadium
North Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape....
. It draws 25,000 spectators to games. Albany has a gymnasium where New Zealand taekwondo Olympic representatives Logan Campbell
Logan Campbell
Logan Campbell is a New Zealand taekwondo practitioner who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Campbell was first attracted to taekwondo as a child after watching The Karate Kid but initially struggled at the sport. He kept at it and won his first international tournament at the age of 13...
and Robin Cheong
Robin Cheong
Robin Haeyoun Cheong is a New Zealand taekwondo athlete, who competed in the Women's 57 kg class at the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China reaching quarter finals and eventually ranked 7th...
trained in 2008 under the guidance of their coach Grandmaster Jin Keun Oh.
It has a tennis park. Rugby teams practice regularly.
Association football
Albany is home to Albany UnitedAlbany United
Albany United is a semi-professional association football club in Albany, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.-External links:**...
who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1B
Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1
The Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1 is a New Zealand Association football semi-professional status league competition that is run by the Auckland Football Federation and includes soccer clubs located in the northern part of the North Island, New Zealand...
.
Transportation
Although a busway station was opened in 2005, in common with most of Auckland beyond the CBD-fringe the suburb has a poor public transport network, with its planning premised on a population of car-owning families.Parks
The North Shore City council has expanded Albany's parkland; in 2007, it paid $3 million for new land totalling 7000 square metres. There is approximately 1200ha of parkland across the city. Kell Park reserve next to the new Albany Village Library was known for its free-range Bantam chicken population and pirate ship flying fox playground.A Council notice stated: "It is prohibited to abandon chickens or to uplift them from this area." It also listed chicken "re-home" options. The city has traditionally allowed chickens to roam free; according to one newspaper report, "chickens are undeniably something of a traditional presence in Albany ... Poultry have been roaming free there for more than 30 years, acquiring an iconic status and helping to attract visitors while inspiring a bronze rooster statue and a logo that's proudly emblazoned on local lamp posts." But in 2008 the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
objected, causing controversy. There were health issues as well, with bird droppings on playgrounds and seats and picnic areas and incidents of birds being run over by vehicles. But when North Shore City Council officers were ordered to shoot chickens, it caused controversy including an outburst from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
City Mayor John Banks, saying the shootings were "an act of wanton destruction and an animal rights outrage." In 2008, while Albany village continues to have a rooster on its logo, the free-roaming chicken population is no more, although there was talk of a managed population at Kell Park.
Education
Albany School is a contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of 644.Pinehurst School
Pinehurst School
Pinehurst School is a private education institute located in Auckland, New Zealand with a roll of approximately 650 students. The institute turned 15 in 2006, this event was marked with a celebration in which all the staff and students took part in...
is a private composite (years 1-15) school with a roll of 729.
Albany Junior High School
Albany Junior High School
Albany Junior High School is situated in North Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 2005, it was the first purpose built Junior High in New Zealand. The concept of a junior high school, although common in the United States, is controversial in New Zealand...
was opened in 2005.
Albany Senior High School opened in 2009 for year 11-13 students. Due to delays in completing the Senior campus, the Senior High School initially shared the Albany Junior High School
Albany Junior High School
Albany Junior High School is situated in North Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 2005, it was the first purpose built Junior High in New Zealand. The concept of a junior high school, although common in the United States, is controversial in New Zealand...
site at North Harbour, New Zealand
North Harbour, New Zealand
North Harbour is the name of a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located 12 kilometres north of the city centre, to the south of the suburb of Albany, close to the northern edge of the city....
. Albany Senior High school was under construction in 2008 but there was controversy about cost overruns. The new building opened in 2009 to serve 1400 persons.
All schools are coeducational and have a decile rating
Socio-Economic Decile
Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 10.
Albany contains the northern campus of Massey University
Massey University
Massey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students, 20,000 of whom are extramural students.The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
. It offers 70 majors plus specialised programmes including Mathematics and Information Sciences, Fundamental Sciences, Food Technology, Engineering, Design, Jazz, Social Sciences, Business and Education. The school has three areas: (1) East Precinct off State Highway 17 (2) Oteha Rohe, off the Albany Highway and (3) Albany Village Precinct off Kell Drive and State Highway 17 where the Schools of Design and Psychology are located. It has a campus shuttle bus between the three campuses leaving every 40 to 45 minutes. There are bus routes to Albany.
The former Centrepoint
Centrepoint (commune)
Centrepoint was a commune in Albany, New Zealand, created in 1977 by Herbert Thomas Potter and 36 others. At its largest, the commune, created in the model of the therapeutic encounter groups popularised in the 1960s in California, was home to over 200 people.On Anzac Day 1990, Potter was...
commune was on farmland near the town centre. After Bert Potter, its founder and leader, was imprisoned on drug and sex abuse charges in 1992, it declined and in 2000 it closed. It was replaced by the Kahikatea Eco-Village and Art-Space. It has been converted into a research centre for natural medicine, offering courses in aromatherapy, nutrition, naturopathy, herbalism, yoga and ayurvedic medicine.
Other
In contrast to the suburb's relatively bourgeois orientation, New Zealand's main maximum security prison is located at ParemoremoParemoremo
Paremoremo is a largely rural locality about 8 km southwest of Albany on the northern fringe of Auckland, New Zealand. Coatesville is about 7 km to the north, and Riverhead is about 8 km to the west....
, five kilometres to the west of Albany, although this rural locality is increasingly being gentrified.
National MP and cabinet minister Steven Joyce
Steven Joyce
Steven Leonard Joyce is a New Zealand politician, who entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2008 as a member of the New Zealand National Party...
lives in Albany.
A tornado hit Albany on 3 May 2011 destroying the roof of a shopping centre, killing one and injuring 14.
External links
- AlbanyNZ.com (community portal)